Violent video games ‘make teens aggressive’

London, Oct 8: Teenagers who play violent video games become more aggressive towards other people over a period of time, according to a study.

Researchers said the study was the first to show a clear link between a sustained period of playing violent games and subsequent increases in hostile behaviour, the Daily Mail reported Monday.

Girls who play violent computer games during their school years were found to be affected just as much as boys.

The research team at Brock University in Canada said their results were “concerning” and wrote that violent games could “reinforce the notion that aggression is an effective and appropriate way to deal with conflict and anger”, according to the Mail.

Evidence suggests that long-term players of violent games may become more likely to react aggressively to unintentional provocations such as someone accidentally bumping into them, they added.